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Ange Postecoglou makes Dejan Kulusevski admission ahead of trip to Bodo/Glimt

Originally posted on To The Lane And Back
By Rohan Sengupta | Last updated May 8, 2025 11:31 AM ET

Dejan Kulusevski’s role in the Tottenham side becomes more important following the season-ending injury to James Maddison

Tottenham Hotspur will look to book their place in the UEFA Europa League final when they play away at Bodo/Glimt on Thursday night.

The Lilywhites take a 3-1 first-leg lead to Arctic Circle in Norway, looking to finish the job and punch their tickets to the final at San Mames in Bilbao later this month. They simply cannot be complacent against a Bodo/Glimt side that play their home games on artificial, plastic pitches. This is going to be a challenge Ange Postecoglou and his boys have to embrace.

However, ahead of the crucial second leg in Norway, the North London club have been dealt with a few blows. Lucas Bergvall and James Maddison have suffered injuries and subsequently ruled out for the rest of the season, while skipper Son Heung-min failed to recover from a foot problem to be a part of the travelling squad.

Maddison, in particular, has been Tottenham’s key player in the Europa League run-in. He won the decisive penalty in the second leg of the quarter-final against Eintracht Frankfurt in April, and scored a fine goal in the 3-1 first-leg semi-final win over Bodo/Glimt at home last week. So, the England international’s injury is a big setback for Spurs, and Dejan Kulusevski is likely to fill in for Maddison in the middle of the park.

Speaking in his pre-match presser, Ange Postecoglou made a confident prediction about Dejan Kulusevski. The Greek-Aussie gaffer expressed how happy he was to have the Sweden international back, particularly in the wake of Maddison and Bergvall suffering untimely injuries. He feels the 25-year-old “getting stronger with every game” and expects to see him play an important role against Bodo/Glimt at the Aspmyra Stadion.

“Certainly, it’s good to have Deki available because with Lucas and Madders, [who are] different players obviously, but very creative, going down in the same week,” Postecoglou told Football London.

“It’s great that Deki’s back. He obviously missed a lot of football and it always takes a while to get his rhythm and I feel like he’s been getting stronger with every game.

“Against West Ham you could see he was starting to get his rhythm again. Irrespective of where he’s at, he’s going to work his socks off for the team.

“He’s got an unbelievable engine, he doesn’t stop running and he’ll be important for us.”

Kulusevski was Tottenham’s standout player in the first half of the season. His form has tailed off since the turn of the year and he spent more than a month on the sidelines as well, but the Swede is now back and showed signs of getting back his rhythm in the 1-1 draw with West Ham at the London Stadium on Sunday.

In Maddison’s absence, Ange’s side will seek creativity and touch of flair from Kulusevski, who has been transformed as a footballer since being used in central midfield this season. Having him back fit is a big plus for the Lilywhites, as Ange’s side prepare for the away Bodo/Glimt challenge.

This article first appeared on To The Lane And Back and was syndicated with permission.

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